


A Magical Time

by Titti



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Challenge Response, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-30
Updated: 2004-12-30
Packaged: 2019-01-16 03:04:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12334197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titti/pseuds/Titti
Summary: Can Draco recapture the magic of the Christmas that was?





	A Magical Time

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the SAC-2004

Growing up, Ron had seen yellow, smelly things come out of Harry's scar, three-headed bigger than life dogs, giants hide in a forest with giant spiders to keep them company, dragons hatch in a fireplace, a book possess his sister, a man disappear behind a veil, people die in excruciating pain, dark Lords implode until even their soul disappeared. He had seen everything in his life, or at least he thought so until his first Christmas with his lover.

"What in bloody hell is that?" Ron exclaimed as he saw the giant pine tree levitate through their apartment, knocking things down in its wake. Ron cringed when he heard the vase Hermione had given him crash on the floor.

"Really, Ron, it's a tree." Draco fixed the vase and then surveyed the room. "We might have to shift some things around to fit it, cast some charms."

"Are you out of your bloody mind? That thing is...it's an aberration and there is no way it's going to fit in this place."

Draco looked up at the ceiling, critically. Ron was partially right. The ten-foot tree he had chosen would never fit without magical alteration to their house. "We can always magic the ceiling open, create a charm for the cold and rain. It won't take that long."

"Oh for God's sake, Draco. Such a waste of magic, the drain on our powers for a useless tree." Ron walked around fixing the things that the tree had knocked down. "Look, you're not the spoiled little prince of the wizarding world. We don't need such a huge tree."

"Incendio." Draco watched the flames consume the tree before he put them out.

"What did you do that for?" Ron asked, with wide eyes.

"We don't need such a huge tree," Draco mimicked.

"We could have made it smaller, cut the top or something," Ron said, trying to make some sense of the situation.

"It was a useless tree. I'm going to get ready for dinner at your parents." Ron watched as Draco left the room, knowing that he had somehow upset his lover, but having no clue why.

~*~*~*~

"Getting ready for Christmas?" Molly asked as they cleared the table.

Draco grinded his teeth and stared at Ron. "We decided not to have a tree."

Ron rolled his eyes. "No, I decided that we won't have a ten-foot tree in a eight-foot high room. You decided that arson was the proper response."

"If you have to do something, you do it well or not at all," Draco responded.

Harry snorted. "That must be one of your father's edicts."

Draco gripped his napkin, counting up to ten and back, and then repeating it again. "Don't speak about my father," he spat out.

"Well, the tree really isn't part of the original Catholic-Judaic tradition. In fact, there are no pine trees in Israel. The reproduction of the nativity scene is more representative of the true Christmas," Hermione stated calmly.

"Oh for Merlin's sake. Ten points for Gryffindor," Draco answered sarcastically. Then, he glared at the woman. "We're not in school anymore; you could spare us your inane babbling."

"Ron is right," Arthur commented. "It's so senseless to show off. Do what you can and you'll be happy."

Draco gave him a fake smile. "Thank you for your advice, and on that note..." He stood up. "Molly, thank you for dinner, wonderful as usual. Goodnight, everyone." He Apparated away before anyone could answer him.

"What crawled up his arse?" Harry asked, barely containing his amusement.

"Harry!"

"Sorry, Molly, but really he's such a prick at time. I shan't stop saying it because he's living with your son," Harry answered.

"Regardless, you don't have to say it aloud," Hermione pointed out. "I'm sure Ron knows without us telling him."

Ron shook his head. Regardless what anyone said, he was certain that Hermione would use her matter-of-fact, nerdy reputation to poke at people. After all, it was difficult to respond when she sounded like she was giving a lecture.

"Won't you go and see what's wrong with him?" Molly asked.

The idea had never crossed Ron's mind. In fact, he blurted out, "We haven't had dessert yet."

"If that's what you want...I'd have thought that the distinct possibility of lack of sex was more important than dessert."

Ron groaned loudly. "Mum, stop talking about sex."

"Yes, of course, Dear, because six pregnancies were the result of six separate visits from the Holy Spirit," Molly said, with a sweet smile.

"Oh all right, I'll go, but it's not like we'll have sex. He's been in a sour mood since he burnt that bloody tree."

"Take this." Molly practically shoved a plate in Ron's hands. "It's my pie. If nothing else works, you can bribe him."

"Molly, please, enough." Harry covered his ears. "I don't want to think about my best friend with Malfoy."

"Very mature." Hermione patted his back.

Ron chuckled. "Goodnight, guys, Dad. Thank you, Mum." He kissed his mother's cheek and Apparated away.

~*~*~*~

Early on, they had agreed to Apparate into the bedroom. That was when their friends didn't know about their relationship and they could never be sure if they had guests. While the reason didn't exist anymore, they did it out of habit.

Ron Apparated in a dark room. He was ready to go look for Draco when he heard a noise. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw Draco curled in the bed.

He put the plate with the pie on the nightstand, and lay on the bed, right behind Draco. He wrapped his arm around the blond and kissed the nape of Draco's neck.

"I didn’t expect you to come home," Draco said in a monotone voice.

Oh fun, their cryptic discussion had started. Ron knew exactly what Draco meant: 'Your mother sent you, didn't she?'

If that's the way Draco wanted to play it, Ron would go along, so he said, 'She sent pie', which translated into 'Yes, but I still don't know what I did wrong'.

"Remind me to thank her. She's too kind."

Ron barely held the snigger back. That meant 'You're a dick, but I put up with you anyway, because I love you, not that I will ever say the L word aloud'. Okay, he couldn't be sure that it was the exact translation, but he felt that he wasn't too far off.

"What's this obsession with the tree?" he blurted out.

"Subtle, Weasley, real subtle," Draco said with a chuckle.

"I don't enjoy an exercise in diplomacy when I want to talk to you." Ron's hand slipped under Draco's shirt, teasing him gently. "Would you tell me?"

Draco turned suddenly, and faced his lover. "I don't need you to remind me that I'm poor-"

"You're not poor," Ron exclaimed immediately. "We have two good salaries-"

"Salaries imply that we need to work for money, so yes, we're poor-"

"The hell we are. We have more than enough money. I'm sorry if you can't change your wardrobe every week, but that does not makes us poor."

Draco waved a hand. "Fine, whatever, we're not poor, but we don't live like I used to. I don't miss it, not usually, but Christmas...it was special. The house was magnificent, Mother would laugh and decorate, Father would even make jokes at Christmas. They would buy me the sun and the moon and anything in between. Not that my father didn't spoil me rotten at other times, of course."

"Of course," Ron mimicked.

"Look, I know what you think of my family, but they are all dead. I've lost my house, my money. I work for the same bloody people who took everything from me. Once a year, I like to recreate that pompous, grandiose luxury. I don't care if I have to work the entire month of January to make it up, but I want to recapture what my family was." Draco raised a hand in defeat and turned again. "Oh whatever, it's stupid, and it was only a tree."

"It's not stupid," Ron whispered. Ron had not missed the emotions in his lover's voice: the nostalgia, the hurt, and the hint of arrogance that would always be part of Draco Malfoy. Faced with all of that, it seemed so wrong to have fought over a tree that meant so much to Draco. "We can get another tree?"

Draco shook his head. "No, it's fine." He moved back into the warmth of Ron's arms. "Just fuck me, and then I can go to sleep."

Ron knew very well what that meant: 'Make love to me and give me the comfort I'll never ask for'. Ron was more than happy to oblige.

~*~*~*~

A few days later, Ron was sitting on their bed, waiting for Draco. The clock chimed five, and Ron put away the book he was reading. Draco was always punctual when leaving from work. Going to work was a different matter. He didn't wait long until Draco Apparated in the room.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Draco sat on the bed. "I went to your office, and they told me you were sick and left early."

"Well...I might have fibbed a little," Ron said turning red.

Draco snorted. "You're such a Gryffindor."

"I don't see what this has to do with my House."

Draco laughed as he lay down, resting his head on Ron's lap. "'I might have fibbed a little'. We've been out of school for six years and you still can't admit that you lied, even though you do it often enough."

"I don't lie," Ron answered affronted.

"Of course not, you fib." The last word turned into a drawl. "All right, tell why you fibbed."

"You won't let this go any time soon, won't you?" Ron leaned down and kissed Draco. "I have something to show you. Come with me." He took Draco's hand and led him to the living room.

"Holy shit!"

"Language, Draco," Ron said, imitating his mother's tone.

Draco turned around and gave him a two-finger salute before taking stock of the room. They didn't have a ceiling anymore. The tree standing in the middle of the room was higher than the one he had picked. The room was enlarged to fit all the furniture. There were candles floating, angel statuettes flying, stars shining. They would have one hell of a time to keep these charms up, and Draco didn't mind one tiny bit.

Ron moved behind Draco and rested his chin on Draco's shoulder. "Do you like it? Hermione and my brothers helped. Fred and George guaranteed me that the charms should last until after Christmas. Bill agreed with them, so I guess we're safe on that count."

Ron almost lost his balance as Draco began to move around the room. The blond ran his hand over an armchair. "This is Father's, and the decorations...they belonged to Mother." Draco turned to Ron. "How did you?"

Ron shrugged. "Fudge is afraid of Harry, and when Harry suggested that a chair and Christmas decorations couldn't be connected to the Dark Arts and should be returned to the rightful owner - you, - Fudge agreed. It's nothing, really."

Draco nodded. "Nothing. Right," he said, fighting to keep his voice steady. He walked to Ron and buried his face against Ron's chest.

"I'm glad you like it." Ron pressed his lips against Draco's temple.

"I love it," Draco mumbled. Then he raised his head and stared at Ron. "This is incredible, a better Christmas than I could have ever imagined....God, my mother's things...I love you."

Ron grinned. If that was what it took for Draco to say the much awaited L word, they would start celebrating Christmas all year long.


End file.
